KUALA LUMPUR – 13^th October 2011 is the International Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Day. This year, MERCY Malaysia focuses on raising awareness towards reducing disaster risks in many of our local and international project areas where we are involved, in tandem with the theme: children and young people as partners in DRR.

During disasters, children are among the most affected physically, emotionally and psychologically. To survive, the affected children are mostly dependent on adults to decide on how fast can they be treated if they are injured, how can they be protected if they are separated, and how their future can be determined if their education is disrupted.

At MERCY Malaysia, we work with children in disseminating the importance of DRR information and knowledge through our School Preparedness Programme as carried out in Malaysia, Cambodia, China and Myanmar. In 2010 and 2011, we have trained more than 2000 school children in Malaysia in risk and hazard mapping exercises through our School Watching Workshop. In the workshop, children are drawn to participate and understand the efforts made to reduce disaster risks in their surroundings by sharing their thoughts and views through the action plan.

Together with Save the Children, our implementing partner, we strive to empower children to be active in voicing out their concerns in disaster risks through various activities as part of our DRR initiatives moulded after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. It is called “Child-led DRR programme”. The children in Sichuan were trained in DRR as peer educators together with community volunteers. By showing the community as a whole that children play an important role to reduce disaster risk, the programme also encourages the local communities, schools authorities and local government agencies to learn more about disaster preparedness and awareness. The programme continues this year in the effort to build resilience of children and their environments against hazard.

MERCY Malaysia will continue to work with children not only to teach them but also to listen to their voices and view from their perspectives in the efforts we undertake to reduce disaster risks. 

Concerned individuals and organisations can donate to the MERCY Malaysia Somalia Relief Fund through the following bank accounts:

MAYBANK (account name: MERCY HUMANITARIAN FUND, account number: 5621-7950-4126, ABA Swift Code: MBBEMYKLA), or

CIMB Bank (account name: MERCY Malaysia, account number: 1424-000-6561053, ABA Swift Code: CIBBMYKL).

Donations via cheque are payable to MERCY MALAYSIA

To donate online, please visit www.mercy.org.my

                         
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About MERCY Malaysia

MERCY Malaysia is a non-profit organisation focusing on providing medical relief, sustainable health related development and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities in both crisis and noncrisis situations. MERCY Malaysia recognises the value of working with partners and volunteers as well as providing opportunities for individuals to serve with professionalism. We uphold the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief and hold ourselves accountable to our donors and beneficiaries. As a non-profit organisation, MERCY Malaysia relies solely on funding and donations from organisations and generous individuals to continue our services to provide humanitarian assistance to our beneficiaries.